6/17/17

First off, I have yet to totally believe that either Rafael Montero or Tyler Pill are MLB level starting pitchers. Tyler is still new, but we all have seen Rafael pitch here. The one thing that Tyler's stats indicate to me, is that he does not have a big league fastball. At least not yet. Plus, he is a righty and we have guys here that are young and can throw a big league level fastball, which is absolutely imperative for a right handed starter to have here. Preferably a fastball with good movement down, if you want to be more specific. In my opinion with Raffy, I get the impression that his fastball does not show enough movement and that is why he does not see to be able to stick here on this Mets team. Just a hunch really and could be wrong.

Next, the idea of trading Harvey (while we still maybe even can) and then for what?

I really appreciated Matt Harvey when he first came up. After all, he was an immediate All Star pitcher and how many of those has this team seen beyond probably Tom Seaver (whom I still miss not seeing pitch) and Dwight Gooden. Harvey entered that class, at least for a moment. But like I have probably said on this blog before, Matt kind of appears to be damaged goods now, in my own opinion. Every season.

So what to do, what to do?

If he can get healthy again, trade him for something this team needs badly. Maybe like another lefty starter, or even a catcher more with youth and promise. So let's get started on these thoughts. The starting pitching here has only Steven Matz as its sole left-handed representation. I like Matz but might like to see him stay healthy and on the mound for an entire season before I crown him the lefty lead starter here. To me right now, he is Scott Kazmir, whom I really liked while he could actually pitch ball games as a NY Met and not watch the games from a hospital room somewhere.

Historically, this ball club always goes after established ball players including pitchers. Like a Tom Glavine, for instance. Usually, these players are either at the very top of their careers, or falling off a small cliff. It's not the moves I would make and this is the NY Yankees, although I do sort of wish that we had Aaron Judge, My goodness gracious that boy can hit. My idea is this, I want to exhaust all possibilities that may exist down at AAA. The pitching staff at AAA is sort of thin, to be kind, but I would like right now (or soon) to see two pitchers there up here starting, to get a read on them. They are namely, left-handed starter Kyle Regnault, career 8-4 with 107 strikeouts in 109 innings pitched. In 2017, he is 3-0 at AAA Vegas, with 24 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched. Kyle has a career 1.15 WHIP, 1.19 so far in 2017 and his stats tell me that he is consistent, which I like. The other starter/reliever I would like to see called up now is Kevin McGowan who has better stats than Pill, with a much better strikeout to innings. Kevin is a right-hander. I want to see what they have and whether or not we could factor them in here.

In their place at Vegas...P.J. Conlon and someone have not one time in life been able to actually get a read on, Luis Mateo, who is currently at AA just like Conlon. They are a lefty and a righty call up from AA to Vegas, same as Regnault and McGowan heading up to the Mets.

On the catcher position...

Believe it or not, Kevin Plawecki is looking alive at the plate down at Vegas. He is 26 years old now and to my eye looks like he may have (finally) hit the weight room. Kevin is showing that he can drive the ball, his own personal thing to prove to these NY Mets. Than makes one catcher who this Mets team might be able to actually count on. I want two. I'm leary and I am selfish!

Maybe these Mets really do need now to trade Harvey. Some may concur here, others will not and are holding on to Matt's superlative rookie campaign like a blanket. But I would trade him for another catcher, a young one more to add into this mix law of averages style. I have done my studying and have decided upon a Baltimore Oriole top prospect...Chance Sisco (age 22, 6'2"/195, bats left, .282 MiLB average, .354 OBP) and all upside. Scouts like, call him a hitter who can catch too. Why this idea? A: Because the catcher position is thin as an ant's hmm-hmm right now. The Mets have Plawecki and Nido right now, forget the others. Sisco would give the Mets a choice between these three young catchers. Sisco is the Oriole's Number One Prospect and for good reason. But they have other good catchers and may be willing to trade Sisco in the right trade. Like Harvey and d'Arnaud for Sisco. orioles can always use more starters. And Travis could use a new address,perhaps as well.

The Mets never had much of anything at the catcher position beyond four players, Grote, Carter, Stearns, and Piazza. We had guys over the years that no one ever even heard of, even when they were playing. Like Dyer, Coleman, Canizarro,... But here's the real problem with this position, firstly there are so few really good catchers right now who can hit the bombs like Carter and Piazza could. But damn, did we get spoiled when these two were here. Mets fans will not rest, until we have a really good hitting catcher behind the plate. So why not mentor these three (Plawecki, Nido, and Sisco) and see who jumps up to grab this for their own. When a position is so thin, a team "has got to" play the law of averages. This does just that.

Now, back to the starting pitching...

When all healed, I like...Syndrgaard, deGrom, Matz, Wheeler, then either Gsellman, McGowan, or Regnault in the fifth and sixth slot. Finally the Mets are going to a six-man rotation. Can you believe it? The stars and planets obviously have lined up. It's key that this organization put everything together now, while their starters are still younger. Imperative may be the right word to describe this importance.

Okay, now what?

Observations on the 2017 season thus far:

1. Not enough solid starting pitching. Was very surprised to see this. Montero, Pill, and was it Wilk? Not enough there, any one.

2. Jose Reyes looks (for him) retired. No third baseman beyond Wilmer Flores here. I have been "hugely" impressed by Flores' hitting thus far and pray hard to see this continue with him and for him, as it could. I might lose Jose.

3. The Neil Walker vs. Daniel Murphy comparison stuff. Simple, to date the NY Mets have paid out $27.7 million to Walker, versus the Nationals paying out $25.0 million for Murphy over the two seasons that Daniel has been away, contract up after the 2018 season with him, by the way. Walker I like too, he is gritty and plays a very nice two bag. But down on AA Binghamton Dimple Ponies is my 2018 second baseman who should be sent up to AAA Vegas ASAP. Luis Guillorme. He is a small/solid player with great hitting and defensive skill set. Luis is hitting .291 at AA Bing right now, and has career MiLB of .286 BA. Very possibly then, the 2018 NY Mets middle infield could be Amed Rosario at short and Guillorme (hopefully no relation here to those "Guillorme Girls") at the two bag.

4. Longshot: Call me crazy but what about AA Bing pitcher Luis Mateo? I never give up on a good fastball starter. Can he be made whole still Mr. Met? Luis is my super longshot for 2018. I refuse to give up on him.

At this point all that's left is for Sandy to start making phone calls and can they PLEASE bring up at least Amed and Plawecki and start playing Nimmo and Cecchini but I'm sure TC will keep running Grandy and Reyes out there. The problem is 2015 were we set a precedent by coming back the way we did and I'm sure we'll be hearing "management speak" about how we can do that again this year...NOT! The only thing to take out of the last 3 games is we have this hitting into double plays thing down pat and the division race and the wild card are so far away we'd need a GPS to find em. Sandy please do the right thing here and start doing it now.

Gary, Reyes is hot hot hot. Amed? Who knows, baby. Reyes goes four for six and a walk in the last 2 games that Scherzer and Strasburg started? That buys Reyes at least another 3-4 games. Like it or not.